Vehicle Description
Chassis No. 118806022
The histories of both Volkswagen and Porsche are as well-known as
they are intertwined. Beginning with the Beetle designed by Dr.
Ferdinand Porsche, the two companies have often worked together in
friendly collaboration not easily found elsewhere between two
automakers. In fact, Porsche's earliest cars built in Gm�nd,
Austria, including the mid-engine Typ 356/1, often known as
"Porsche Number 1," and the subsequent 356/2 "Gm�nd coupes"
featured their fair share of Volkswagen parts. VW engines,
transmissions, brakes, and suspension components all successfully
launched Porsche to become one of the world's most successful
automotive brands.
Perhaps it should be no surprise that this Typ 356/1 Gm�nd Roadster
recreation is based on a Volkswagen-just like the earliest
Porsches. An impressively accurate fiberglass 356/1-style body sits
atop a custom tube frame utilizing a 1968 Beetle pan with a
frameless split glass windshield, body-mounted bumpers, and forward
and rear lighting all faithfully rendering the look of the first
Porsche. Powering the Porsche-inspired roadster is an air-cooled
flat-four engine mounted amidships and mated to a four-speed manual
transmission. The silver metallic two-seater is upholstered in red
leather and oatmeal colored square weave carpeting. A body-color
dashboard is set with VDO-branded instrumentation, an ivory banjo
steering wheel, switchgear, and warning lights that all
successfully mimic the one-off original. Reportedly one of two
examples constructed in California, the Gm�nd Roadster recreation
was originally ordered by a customer in the UAE, where it lived for
several years before returning to the U.S. around 2015.
Since 2015, this unique creation has been under the care of the
consignor as the bookend of a comprehensive Porsche collection. As
an impressive rendition of the car that sits at the root of the
Porsche tree, this Typ 356/1 Gm�nd Roadster recreation is sure to
attract a steady stream of turned heads, insightful questions, and
general interest at any gathering of Porsche enthusiasts.
